10 Must Have Apps for the Travel Fanatic

Vacationing should be fun. It can also be stressful. Technology can help emphasize the fun quotient while minimizing the headaches. Must have apps for travel help you take care of the day-to-day details of being away from home, so you can focus on taking in the sights and being inspired.

Must-have apps for travel can help make posting to social media more convenient. They can help you navigate unfamiliar cities. They also make it easy to keep a travel journal to record your memories.

Technology is only useful when it makes life easier. Must have apps for travel reduce the anxiety of traveling so you can focus on the wonder. As Mark Twain reminds us, “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.”

Here are 10 of our favorite must have apps for travel.

10 Must Have Apps For Traveling The World

One’s definition of a must have app depends on your goals for seeing the world. Certain travel apps operate like a local tour guide. Others operate like a virtual assistant. We’ve compiled a cross-section of some of the many great travel apps out there to help give an overview.

Citymapper

Citymapper is a more robust version of Google Maps. It’s set up in a similar way, but it’s more thorough. It’s also more quirky and playful, making it more fun to explore new cities.

Citymapper offers real-time arrival and departure times for local transit. It also integrates seamlessly with Uber. Alternative transportation is also covered. Citymapper shows users local bike and pedestrian routes. They even give travel times for jetpack commute!

Citymapper is more than just a trip planner. It features interesting local destinations and landmarks. Think of CityMapper like Atlas Obscura, Yelp!, and Trip Advisor all in one.

Citymapper is currently available for around 30 cities. It’s free to download for iOS and Android.

LuckyTrip

As the infamous armchair vacationer, Marcel Proust puts it, “the real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” It’s difficult to see with new eyes when you’re only seeing the same things. Luckily, there are must have apps like LuckyTrip to help get you off the beaten path.

LuckyTrip is the app-quivalent of showing up at the airport and buying the first cheap ticket you can find. All you have to do is set a budget, and LuckyTrip will pick a destination. It’ll also find things for you to do at your destination.

LuckyTrip is a travel advisor and travel agent all rolled into one. They offer travel insights into more than 300 cities. It’s truly one of the great must have apps for the adventurous.

LuckyTrip is free to download for iOS.

Trip.Com

Trying to Google destinations based on your interests can be frustrating. Do you have any idea how many websites are posting about ‘best foodie destination in Europe’? Or ‘Things to do in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania’? Trying to separate the signal from the noise can be difficult.

Trip.com does the filtering for you. Trip.com features extensive filtering options, making it fun and easy to browse destinations you’ll want to see. This free app also features Special Event listings in the towns you’ll be visiting. With over 60,000 listings, Trip.com is on-par with some of the largest travel apps.

Trip.com also features the budgeting tools users have come to expect. A built-in schedule planner completes the deal. Trip.com is one of the best must have apps for an inclusive user experience.

Trip.com is free to download for iOS and Android.

DuoLingo

There’s nothing quite like visiting a new country. The fresh sights and sounds make your senses come alive. Not being able to speak the language can make the experience more stressful than it needs to be, however.

DuoLingo helps to remove that stress. While not as extensive as language-learning software like Rosetta Stone, it’ll help you brush up on your languages. DuoLingo helps you to prepare for your trip, as well. It’s set up like a game, guiding you through the steps you’ll need for your journey. With over 70 million users, DuoLingo is one of a lot of people’s must have apps.

DuoLingo is free to download for iOS and Android.

Localeur

Localeur is one of the most essential must have apps for people looking for the insider scoop. This popular travel app gets their info from a community of local tastemakers. They share their favorite cafes and nightclubs. They can also showcase their favorite boutiques and places to stay.

Localeur is like having a good friend in the city you’re visiting. Or a very helpful stranger. Someone who’s very helpful and not elitist in any way. They just want to show off their beloved hometown. Tastemakers can even make you a ‘To Do’ list with customized itineraries.

Localeur is particularly effective in the United States. There are extensive guides to over 50 major U.S. cities, so far.

Localeur is free to download for iOS and Android.

XE Currency

Certain trips can cross a lot of borders. This creates the need for a lot of currencies. Chasing down currency exchanges in every new city sounds stressful. Currency exchange rates are always fluctuating, as well. It can be hard to know if the currency exchange you’re dealing with is offering the right rates.

XE Currency eliminates this uncertainty. It also removes the wasted hours you’d spend converting your currency. Time is fleeting on vacation. Must have apps like XE Currency help you make the most of every second.

XE Currency is free to download for iOS and Android.

Cool Cousin

Cool Cousin is another local guide app. It sources its recommendations from hand-selected local users. They act as your personal tour guide, giving personalized maps and guidebooks.

What makes Cool Cousin unique is the ability to privately message these local users. There’s nothing quite like real-time feedback, especially when you’re in a new town. There’s no insight quite like the people who live in a community, as well. Cool Cousin makes the best of both of these facts.

Cool Cousin has featured destinations all over the world. Looking for things to do in Wellington, New Zealand? They’ve got you covered. Looking for hot spots in Kiev, Ukraine? They’ve got those, too. Cool Cousin also offers offline maps and localized suggestions for app users.

If you’re looking for even more travel suggestions, take a look at Cool Cousin’s travel stories. They offer deep, insightful guides to many of their global destinations. They also feature some deep tags, like ‘Vintage‘ and ‘Brunch‘. Cool cousin is an indispensable app for those in search of the unusual.

Cool Cousin is free to download for iOS.

Hopper

Finding the best deals on vacations was easy in the early days of travel websites. Just go to Travelocity or Expedia and they’d find the best deal on a flight for you. It was like magic. Finding the best deal for vacations has gotten exponentially more complicated as more travel sites have cashed in on that lucrative niche.

That’s what makes must have apps like Hopper so indispensable. Hopper helps you find the best deals, quickly and easily. It also lets you search for cheap times and dates, so you can find the right time frame for traveling on your budget.

Hopper is free to download for iOS and Android.

TripIt

It’s not uncommon to have travel info from all over. There are confirmation emails from hotels. There’s flight information from the airlines. There air electronic tickets for special events.

TripIt consolidates all of that information from all of these sources into one easy-to-follow itinerary. All you have to do is forward your emails to TripIt and the app does the rest. TripIt is one of the must have apps for those looking for a virtual travel agent.

TripIt is free to download for iOS and Android.

500PX

Nothing is more motivating to travel than seeing a bunch of inspiring photos from that place. The best photography can practically make you feel what it’s like in these exotic paradises. You can almost feel the biting cold of Mount Everest. You can practically taste the sweat of the Amazon rainforest. If the photography is inspiring enough, that is.

500PX is one of the largest photography communities on Earth. It’s also one of the finest. This is one of the must have apps for the serious photographer. With more than 11 million global users, 500PX offers an ocean of gorgeous photography of this amazing world.

Must have apps like the ones we’ve mentioned let you truly get out there and explore. Travel apps can be like having Mission Control in your pocket. They let you get lost and find your way back again. Must have apps for travel truly let you explore, while still knowing where you’re going.